Bafana's Modise May Go To Jail

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Soccer star, Teko Modise, faces a jail sentence following his failure to honour a monthly maintenance order of R31,000 to his estranged wife.

The Mamelodi Sundowns captain and Bafana Bafana star is in arrears of R52,000 after defaulting on a February court order, and his wife, Ntswaki Felicia Modise, wants him to be held in contempt of court and locked up.

The Soweto-born player, who earns an estimated R150,000 monthly salary (according to court papers), and has amassed wealth from endorsement deals for Shield deodorant, Samsung and McDonald’s during the 2010 World Cup, has made only two payments of R4,000 since February, defying Johannesburg High Court Judge, Caroline Nicholls’s ruling.

The judge had ordered Modise to make monthly payments of R31,000 towards his wife and their daughter’s upkeep, a further R15,000 towards Ntswaki Modise’s legal costs and to hand over one of his cars to Ntswaki. Flashy cars listed in court papers include a BMW X6, a BMW M3 and a BMW 1 Series.

The February ruling resulted from a Rule 43 application that Ntswaki launched in November last year after Modise allegedly deregistered their daughter from his medical aid and refused to give her money. This came after he kicked mother and daughter out of their luxurious R1.85 million home last year.

“This is an application to hold the respondent (Modise) in contempt of court and to order that he be detained in custody until such time that he complies with the court order,” Ntswaki, 26, said in court papers.

This could see Modise missing a chance to play against SuperSport United in the Nedbank Cup final on May 25.

Ntswaki said Modise had ignored her pleas for financial help, getting “aggressive” whenever she contacted him.

“I do not have my own place of residence. I am unable to properly provide for my daughter financially, and the respondent refuses to effect payment to me or provide me with a car, as he has been ordered to do.”

Ntswaki said in court papers it would be argued at the hearing that Modise was “deliberately and wilfully seeking to frustrate the rights under the court order”.

The 29-year-old has until Friday to file papers, failing which the matter will be set down for a formal hearing in the Johannesburg High Court in two weeks’ time.

Modise and his wife are in the process of divorcing amid claims of infidelity.

Modise’s agent, Jazzman Mahlakgane refused to comment, saying he was unaware of the court papers.

Modise denied knowledge of the order: “I know nothing about that (February court order). I’ve never been in court in my life,” he said.

Tlhatlha Attorneys, the lawyers cited as the footballer’s defence team in court papers, could not be reached for comment.

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